Many women have parts of their bodies that they are unhappy with, making them have an insecure feeling when wearing certain clothing. Foundation garments have been worn for a very long time to address this problem. Better known today as shapewear, these foundation garments include body briefs, bodysuits, brassieres, control top panty hose, control panties, control briefs, control slips, control camisoles, control tanks, hip slips, waist shapers, corsets, garter belts, and girdles.
Shapewear are undergarments designed to change the wearer's shape, producing a more fashionable, slim figure and to enhance the natural curves of the body. Take for example control briefs. They are designed to lift a wearer's bottom, flatten the tummy and add shape and form to the thighs.
Shapewear is typically categorized according to the level or shape control offered—for instance, light, medium or firm. Generally, shapewear can be categorized into four different support levels:                Light Control shapewear garments, which offer a slight touch of control without binding. These are typically chosen by women of all sizes who want to appear firmer, but not necessarily smaller.        Moderate Control shapewear garments may have light control panels built in, offering control with a touch of compression. These are typically chosen by women who want to look more toned.        Firm Control shapewear garments are the most popular with a support level that gives the maximum amount of compression and control. These are typically chosen by women seeking to appear slimmer and more toned.        
Extra Firm Control shapewear garments offer the highest level of support. These garments will most likely have reinforced panels and possibly boning.
Shapewear garments typically have a single control material covering an entire section of the garment. For example, in a typical shapewear panty, a single control panel material forms the tummy, thigh and buttocks areas of the garment. This results in a shapewear garment that has the same control properties for all sections of the garment. This may ultimately result in a garment that provides a desired amount of control in one area, while providing too much or too little control in another area. As a typical problem with such panty garments, a wearer may end up with a good control in the thigh and tummy area, but the panty provides too much control and/or compression in the buttocks area. This results in the wearer having the undesirable appearance of a “flat” buttocks.